Counties with the oldest homes in Texas
Counties with the oldest homes in Texas
There’s an undeniable charm that comes with pre-World War II American architecture, characterized by high ceilings, crown molding, hardwood floors, and ornate details. In fact, 11.4% of all housing units in America were built in 1939 or before, showing the popularity of the preservation of these units. Owning a piece of history can sometimes come with a cost: Many old homes come with asbestos, lead piping, knob-and-tube wiring, and other outdated building styles that can rack up a hefty price tag to modernize. However, with more and more modernized pre-war homes on the market, generally located just outside bustling downtown metros, investing in property that has withstood the test of time is an attractive prospect.
Stacker compiled a list of the counties in Texas with the oldest homes using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Counties are ranked by median year the structure was built according to 2023 5-year estimates. Ties broken by the highest percentage of homes built before 1939.
The country’s domestic architecture is perhaps best characterized by a rugged individualism as opposed to the hybridization of disparate architectural elements. As Maya Angelou once perceptively observed, “the ache for home lives in all of us,” a phrase that has meant very different things to different people.
Modest or palatial, there is no shortage of noteworthy homes in the U.S. Log cabins constructed by industrious pioneers have dotted the landscape alongside traditional Native American dwellings ever since immigrant Swedes introduced them to the New World in 1638. The unprecedented personal fortunes amassed by the so-called “Robber Barons” at the close of the 19th century gave way to the construction of a staggering number of Gilded Age estates.
The ravages of time spared neither the sumptuous nor the humble. Stately mansions, often prohibitively costly to maintain in the modern era, were frequently neglected; simple structures were forgotten, discarded by their owners, and damaged by natural elements. However, the tireless efforts of architectural preservationists and local historical societies have saved many of these homes from demolition, leading to their inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places and thereby safeguarding them for future generations.
Keep reading to learn more about which counties in Texas have the oldest homes.
#50. Deaf Smith County
– Median year homes built: 1969
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 7.3% (509 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.3% (18 homes)
– Total homes built: 6,993
#49. Jones County
– Median year homes built: 1969
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 11.1% (782 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.8% (55 homes)
– Total homes built: 7,060
#48. Scurry County
– Median year homes built: 1968
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 5.3% (364 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.3% (19 homes)
– Total homes built: 6,896
#47. Hale County
– Median year homes built: 1968
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 6.1% (813 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.2% (24 homes)
– Total homes built: 13,399
#46. Winkler County
– Median year homes built: 1967
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 0.2% (6 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.4% (13 homes)
– Total homes built: 3,209
#45. Terry County
– Median year homes built: 1967
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 1.5% (74 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 2.1% (102 homes)
– Total homes built: 4,796
#44. Hutchinson County
– Median year homes built: 1967
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 1.7% (177 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.1% (15 homes)
– Total homes built: 10,175
#43. Howard County
– Median year homes built: 1967
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 6.8% (958 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.3% (39 homes)
– Total homes built: 13,999
#42. Stonewall County
– Median year homes built: 1967
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 11.2% (82 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 1.0% (7 homes)
– Total homes built: 733
#41. Coleman County
– Median year homes built: 1967
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 12.1% (592 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 1.0% (48 homes)
– Total homes built: 4,902
#40. Knox County
– Median year homes built: 1967
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 12.3% (222 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.0% (0 homes)
– Total homes built: 1,802
#39. Hamilton County
– Median year homes built: 1967
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 17.6% (767 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 1.0% (44 homes)
– Total homes built: 4,356
#38. McCulloch County
– Median year homes built: 1967
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 18.9% (796 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 1.7% (73 homes)
– Total homes built: 4,216
#37. Lamb County
– Median year homes built: 1966
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 6.1% (358 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.0% (0 homes)
– Total homes built: 5,893
#36. Castro County
– Median year homes built: 1966
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 6.3% (190 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.0% (0 homes)
– Total homes built: 3,026
#35. Baylor County
– Median year homes built: 1966
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 7.8% (169 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.0% (0 homes)
– Total homes built: 2,170
#34. Edwards County
– Median year homes built: 1966
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 14.4% (130 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.0% (0 homes)
– Total homes built: 903
#33. Oldham County
– Median year homes built: 1966
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 15.9% (126 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.4% (3 homes)
– Total homes built: 791
#32. Roberts County
– Median year homes built: 1966
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 23.2% (91 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.0% (0 homes)
– Total homes built: 392
#31. Crosby County
– Median year homes built: 1965
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 7.5% (200 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.1% (2 homes)
– Total homes built: 2,668
#30. Upton County
– Median year homes built: 1965
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 9.8% (160 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.7% (12 homes)
– Total homes built: 1,629
#29. Lynn County
– Median year homes built: 1965
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 11.0% (279 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.4% (9 homes)
– Total homes built: 2,527
#28. Dawson County
– Median year homes built: 1965
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 11.6% (569 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.9% (43 homes)
– Total homes built: 4,892
#27. Nolan County
– Median year homes built: 1964
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 9.9% (705 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.4% (27 homes)
– Total homes built: 7,129
#26. Briscoe County
– Median year homes built: 1964
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 12.9% (116 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.0% (0 homes)
– Total homes built: 901
#25. Armstrong County
– Median year homes built: 1964
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 22.0% (195 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 1.1% (10 homes)
– Total homes built: 888
#24. Dickens County
– Median year homes built: 1963
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 10.7% (118 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.3% (3 homes)
– Total homes built: 1,107
#23. Sherman County
– Median year homes built: 1963
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 18.7% (209 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.0% (0 homes)
– Total homes built: 1,117
#22. Wilbarger County
– Median year homes built: 1963
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 19.4% (1,136 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.3% (20 homes)
– Total homes built: 5,848
#21. Eastland County
– Median year homes built: 1963
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 19.5% (1,834 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 1.8% (166 homes)
– Total homes built: 9,391
#20. Fisher County
– Median year homes built: 1962
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 9.4% (191 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.2% (5 homes)
– Total homes built: 2,041
#19. Potter County
– Median year homes built: 1962
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 10.5% (5,153 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.6% (301 homes)
– Total homes built: 49,133
#18. Foard County
– Median year homes built: 1962
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 23.4% (141 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 1.0% (6 homes)
– Total homes built: 602
#17. Haskell County
– Median year homes built: 1961
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 18.9% (584 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.0% (0 homes)
– Total homes built: 3,084
#16. Throckmorton County
– Median year homes built: 1961
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 19.3% (185 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 2.2% (21 homes)
– Total homes built: 960
#15. Wheeler County
– Median year homes built: 1961
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 20.7% (538 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.0% (1 homes)
– Total homes built: 2,595
#14. Hardeman County
– Median year homes built: 1961
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 24.9% (465 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.0% (0 homes)
– Total homes built: 1,866
#13. Collingsworth County
– Median year homes built: 1961
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 26.4% (388 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.0% (0 homes)
– Total homes built: 1,471
#12. Floyd County
– Median year homes built: 1960
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 14.3% (372 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.0% (0 homes)
– Total homes built: 2,601
#11. Swisher County
– Median year homes built: 1960
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 15.3% (464 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.1% (2 homes)
– Total homes built: 3,038
#10. Gray County
– Median year homes built: 1959
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 11.5% (1,146 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.4% (39 homes)
– Total homes built: 9,975
#9. Carson County
– Median year homes built: 1959
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 26.3% (734 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.9% (26 homes)
– Total homes built: 2,792
#8. Runnels County
– Median year homes built: 1958
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 13.2% (661 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.6% (30 homes)
– Total homes built: 4,989
#7. Mitchell County
– Median year homes built: 1958
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 15.5% (573 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.1% (4 homes)
– Total homes built: 3,697
#6. Cottle County
– Median year homes built: 1958
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 26.9% (261 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.0% (0 homes)
– Total homes built: 972
#5. Loving County
– Median year homes built: 1958
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 31.9% (15 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.0% (0 homes)
– Total homes built: 47
#4. Motley County
– Median year homes built: 1957
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 29.0% (216 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 1.5% (11 homes)
– Total homes built: 746
#3. Kenedy County
– Median year homes built: 1955
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 15.9% (11 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.0% (0 homes)
– Total homes built: 69
#2. Hall County
– Median year homes built: 1954
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 40.0% (700 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.0% (0 homes)
– Total homes built: 1,748
#1. Terrell County
– Median year homes built: 1948
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 39.2% (260 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.0% (0 homes)
– Total homes built: 663 
